A sheep in wolf's clothing

Saved By The Horn!

Tell us about a time when you managed to extract yourself from a sticky situation at the very last minute.

Hmmm, I’d have to go back several years, 20 to be exact, to think of a situation like this. So I was 17 and enrolled at St. Paul’s college in Kalamassery for the two year pre-degree course. I lived to the east of the college which was about 20 minutes away on foot but the route that I had to take had this section, a rough neighbourhood that consisted of mostly dhobi washermen/women and those who iron your clothes from Tamil Nadu. This area was infamous for mugging especially during the late evenings when it gets dark and a lot of people used to warn me about going through that route either early morning or late in the evening. Even if I was on my bicycle I was told to avoid it and that if I was alone I had to take an autorikshaw to pass that way. Even the cops have warned me a couple of times. The other way was to take a longer, round about way by bus and I’d have to take two buses.

One morning I was to go the college a bit earlier than usual for the organization of a function that was taking place in the college campus. So I woke up early got ready and left for the college by 6:30 am but instead of taking the bus I walked the route to the campus. As I reached the dhobi area I remembered the warnings and picked up my pace. However it was something altogether different that got me frightened. I was walking on when I heard growling behind me and so I turned back to see what it was and my heart almost stopped! Following behind me were several stray dogs sniffing at the food in my bag. I had a lot of food for me and some friends that was part of a potluck lunch we had planned and I had some beef in my bag. I tried walking faster but the growling still continued and the strays were looking vicious. Luckily for me a lorry came the other way (some lorry trucks used to use that route as a short cut) and saw the strays and honked their horn continuously, scarring and chasing the stray dogs away. I waved to the driver and his mate and almost ran to the campus.

After that I never took that route again, unless I had friends with me.